Konoha Royale
by Zombie-Elf
Summary: Konoha Academe 9th Grade Class E has been chosen to take part in this year's Battle Royale, a sinister Program that pits classmate against classmate in the ultimate fight to the death. Violence, language, gore, a scene of torture, possible rape in future chapters (not sure yet) MAJOR character death. You have been warned.
1. The Program

(I know this has been done, but I have always wanted to do a Naruto/Battle Royale Crossover. Everything in this story from the winner, to the death order, to the weapon distribution was chosen completely at random using a D20. Please let me know what you think and how I can improve. No flames please.)

Sai's head hurt. Sai's head hurt a lot. He groaned as he sat up, blinking his dark eyes as they adjusted to the dim light. All around him were bodies, and before long he could make out that they were his classmates, some laying on the floor, some slumped against the walls. Dead? No. Some of them were starting to stir and look around with slightly glazed eyes.

That prompted Sai to look around as well. Where on earth were they? It was a classroom, that much was for sure, but how did they get here? Last thing he knew, he and his classmates were on a bus for their class trip to Kyoto. Then everyone had fallen asleep... but now...

He looked around at his classmates again as it began to get a little more noisy in the room. Class clown Naruto Uzumaki was rubbing his head and swearing under his breath as he shook Sakura Haruno, the nurse's aid awake. "Hey, Sakura-chan... Wake up..."

The pink-haired girl made a small noise as her eyes opened. "W-where? Sasuke-kun?" But Sasuke Uchiha looked like he'd been awake for a while. He was sitting on a desk, eyes trained on the front of the room. Sai looked over in that direction, but as of yet, it was empty.

"Neji, Tenten, hey, wake up guys." That was Rock Lee's voice. Lee was a friendly but slightly eccentric boy with a passion for fitness and martial arts. Tenten and Neji Hyuuga were close friends of his, despite the fact that none of them had a single thing in common. "Why do I feel like I've been hit by a truck?" Tenten groaned.

When Neji was fully roused, he went to check on his cousin Hinata, who was sitting on her knees, her head bobbing a bit. "Are you alright Hinata-sama?" He asked, steadying her with one arm.

The girl nodded a bit, then looked around as her silvery eyes winded in fear. "What's going on? What happened?" She asked. Neji could only shake his head, indicating that he had no idea himself.

"Wake up lazy-ass!" Snapped blonde and pretty Ino Yamanaka as she lightly slapped Shikamaru Nara on the cheek. "Now isn't the time to be sleeping! And... I can't believe you're eating!" This last was directed at Chouji Akimichi, an obese but very friendly boy. "I can't help it Ino." He said. "I'm always hungry when I first wake up..."

Sai saw that finally everyone was awake. Bookworm Kabuto Yakushi was standing, looking around as he straightened his glasses. The Sabaku siblings, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were all talking in hushed whispers in one corner of the room. Haku, a feminine boy with a tendency to crossdress and an older boyfriend was sitting next to Kimimaro, a quiet boy of poor health.

Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburami had gone to check on Hinata. It was Shino that noticed something they all had missed. "Hinata, you're wearing a necklace."

The girl blinked and touched the silver band wrapped snugly around her neck. "Um... You all are too..." She said softly.

One by one, everyone reached up and touched their throats. Sai's brow furrowed when he felt the cool metal Underneath his fingers. What on earth was this all about?

"I'm scared!" Said Konohamaru, another of the class clowns who tended to follow Naruto around like a little lost puppy. Normally, his friends Moegi and Udon would be with him as well, but they didn't get their permission slips for the field trip signed in time. Sai was beginning to think that may be lucky for them.

All of a sudden, the door at the front of the room opened, causing several people to jump. Several heavily armed men dressed in military fatigues filed in, followed by an unfamiliar man in a designer suit. He leaned against the low podium at the front of the room and surveyed the group before smiling. "Good evening. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I will be your instructor this evening. I hope we can all be friends." He turned and began to write something on the board, when Kankuro stood up angrily. "What the hell is going on here?!" He demanded.

"Who are all these people?" Sakura asked.

"What's the big idea?!" Came Tenten's irritated addition.

Kakashi just smiled at all of them and pointed at the board. "Oh, I think you all know. You've heard of The Program, I'm sure. And you, Konoha 9th grade class, E have been chosen to participate. Congratulations."

Several people began to make small, panicked whispers, and even Sai felt himself tense up a bit. The Program. The most dreaded event anyone could imagine. Every teenager feared it. Parents used it to make their children behave. 'If you don't do as you're told, they'll put you in The Program.' The source of many a rumor and speculation.  
"Now, now, settle down. Seeing as you already seem to know the basics, I only need to be brief with my explanation. You will take part in a game of Battle Royale. You will each be given a bag that has food, water, a map, a compass, a flashlight, and a weapon. It might be rocket launcher, it might be a bottle of nail polish. It's completely random. And once you exit the building, the rules become simple. You have three days to kill each other off."

The terrified whispers began again, Hinata Hyuuga began to cry softly. Kiba stood up with a growl. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" He demanded. "None of us is going to kill anybody! Fuck you, and fuck your program." He reached up and made to rip off his collar. There was a small 'beep' and then a POP as the small metal device exploded. Kiba sank to his knees, his eyes widened in shock as his life's blood sprayed all over Hinata, Neji, and Shino.

That was when the screams began. First one, from Hinata, then another and another until almost everyone in the room was screaming, shouting, or sobbing.

It took a long time for everyone to be silent again, Kakashi watching with amusement until the noise subsided into small sobs and whimpers. "One important thing that Inuzuka-kun just demonstrated for us is the collars." He continued in the same casual tone he'd been using. "The collars monitor your vitals, and have GPS locators so we always know where you are and who's alive. They are waterproof and shock proof, if you try to leave this island or come back into this building after you leave, they will explode. If you try to remove them, they will, obviously, explode. And if more than one person is alive at the end of three days, they will explode, so try not to let that happen. Is this unclear to anyone?"

Sai looked around and saw the others doing the same. But nobody said a word. "Now then," Kakashi continued. "You will exit in alphabetical order by your first name, one minute apart, and be given your bag at the door. Chouji Akimichi."

"Y-yes." The large boy stood, and after exchanging a glance with Shikamaru, rushed out the door.

"Gaara Sabaku."

The redhead was much calmer than Chouji had been. He walked out at a leisurely pace, casting a sidelong glance at the proctor, and was gone.

Haku was next, he hurried but seemed more nervous than outwardly afraid.

"Hinata Hyuuga."

The girl gave a small whimper and stood on shaky legs, Neji took her arm just before she could leave. "Hide near the school. I'll come find you." She nodded and half ran, half stumbled out.

Ino was next. She and Sakura shared an embrace, swearing that no matter what, they were still friends.

Kabuto, Kankuro, and Kimimaro all left with seemingly uninterested expressions, as if this were nothing more than another day. Konohamaru, on the other hand took off at full speed.

When Lee's name was called, he turned back to look at Neji, Tenten, and Naruto. He gave them an encouraging smile and a thumbs up before he took off at a fast, but unafraid pace.

Naruto looked at Sakura when his name was called, and managed the same smile that Lee had. "I'll wait for you." He said, then was gone.  
Neji was next. He didnt' have a word to say to anyone, though he did exchange nods with Tenten.

"Sai." He looked up when his own name was called, then looked back at who was remaining. Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Shino, Temari, and Tenten. He considered Sakura and Naruto to be his friends, but didn't think that teaming up with anyone would be a good idea. After all, only one of them was allowed to leave.

He got up and rushed out the door, catching his bag as it was tossed to him before sprinting off into the night.


	2. After Midnight

Tenten was the last of the twenty students to be let out of the school. She cursed under her breath as she ran out into the open, hating the fact that her name came last alphabetically. She didn't see anyone when she stepped into the moonlight, but she ran for cover anyway. She didn't want to think that her friends and classmates could kill each other, but she wasn't about to take that chance.

Once she was safely hidden in some overgrown hedges, she gauged her surroundings. Judging by the position of the moon, it was between midnight and 2am. They must have been asleep for a while, as she remembered checking the clock just before everyone had passed out, and that was at quarter till seven.

She determined that she would have to find Neji and Lee. If there was anyone she'd trust to team up with, it was those two, but first thing was first, she had to check her bag. She opened the large rucksack and began to rummage around. She found the map first and judged the island they were on to be about two miles across and a mile wide. Pretty big.

She finally found her weapon, and couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief as she pulled out a sharp meat cleaver. It wasn't an ideal weapon, but it was better than she had expected, plus she knew how to fight, so she was reasonably confident that she'd be able to fend off anyone that tried to attack her.

Well, she wasn't going to get anywhere hiding in the bushes all day, time to find her friends. As she stood, she heard something move behind her. She spun, holding the meat cleaver tight. "T-Tenten-san? Is that you?" Came a girl's voice.

"Temari?" Tenten asked. She pulled out her flashlight and shone it in the direction of the voice. sure enough, there was the eldest of the three Sabaku siblings.

"Oh thank god!" The blonde exclaimed. "I can't find Gaara and Kankuro! I think they left me!"

Tenten had never gotten along with Temari, the tall girl was a bully and a show off, but right now she looked so scared that Tenten couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Hey, it'll be okay. I'm sure they're not far. I'll help you find them if you like." She said.

Temari looked up at her, sniffing a big. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course." Tenten touched her arm with a small smile. "I'd hope someone else would do the same for me."

The taller girl managed a small smile and nodded. "Thank you Tenten... I'm so sorry I picked on you... Is that your weapon?" She asked, eyes widening at the sight of the meat cleaver.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She held it up, the blade shining in the moonlight. "Not great, but better than I expected. What about you?"

"This..." Temari sounded disappointed. She held up what Tenten first thought was a small knife, but upon closer inspection, Tenten saw that it was a potato peeler.

"Oh wow..." She said, giving a small grin. "I guess that wouldn't do you much good unless you managed to get someone in the eye."

"Yeah..." Said Temari, stuffing the little blade back into her pocket. "Thank you so much for helping me."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. I'm looking for my friends too. It'll be easier to find them with a second set of eyes. Come on," She turned around, surveying their surroundings. "They gotta be around here somew-" CRUNCH!

When Tenten turned her back, Temari picked a stone the size of her fist off the ground and cracked it across the back of the other girl's head, right between her panda-like buns. The girl fell forward to her knees and Temari jumped on top of her, hitting her with the rock over and over until she stopped moving, blood and a grey substance oozing from within her hair.

Temari sat up, panting and setting the bloodied rock aside. That was it. She had killed one of her classmates. Seeing Kiba die had woken her up. This was serious and if she wasn't careful, she'd end up just as dead as the girl at her feet.

"Sorry Tenten. Nothing personal, but I'm not ready to die yet." She reached down and plucked the cleaver from her hand. "Now, I don't appreciate being left behind by my brothers. Let's see if we can have a little family reunion."

18 Students Remaining

(I know this chapter was short. The next one will be longer, I promise. I'm just in a bit of a hurry. Please read and review!)


	3. Of Fowl and Cicadas

Neji had been wandering near the school for a while now as he searched for Hinata, but as of yet, he hadn't seen anyone. It was like everyone had simply taken off into the night and not given a second thought as to who was behind them or where they were going. Neji himself was more cautious then panicky, though he was upset about Kiba's death. They hadn't been close, but Kiba had always been very nice to his shy cousin, for which Neji was grateful.

He had yet to open his bag to examine what weapon and supplies he'd been given, deciding to hold off until it was needed. First thing he needed to do was find Hinata. Poor thing was so scared when she left that she could barely walk. He hoped that when he told her to wait, it hadn't simply gone in one ear and out the other and she'd fled in some direction in a blind panic.

And speaking of blind, Neji was so lost in his thoughts that he tripped on something on the path and nearly fell, catching himself with a grumble. He was glad nobody was around to see him do something clumsy. Naruto especially would never let him live it down.

He turned to see what he had tripped over, and his heart dropped into his stomach. "Oh god... Tenten..." He sank to his knees next to her and reached out with a shaky hand. Her skin was icy cold, but he didn't need to check her pulse to know that she was dead; her skull had been completely pulverized, the rock that was the obvious murder weapon sitting beside her.

He swallowed hard, taking in a shaky breath. Despite his good looks, excellent grades, and talent in martial arts, Neji had never been a very popular student. He was once very arrogant and mean, and though he had lightened up considerable in the past couple years, some of the other students still avoided him because of the person he used to be. Lee and Tenten were the exceptions, his two dearest friends that stuck with him through thick and thin. They were more than friends, they were family. And now a part of that family was laying dead before him, blood and brain-matter caked in her dark brown hair.

He felt his gorge rise, but forced it back down with another swallow. As much as he might want to, he couldn't afford to get emotional. Not here. Not now that he knew that there was at least one person that was totally willing to kill the people that had been their friends and classmates only hours ago. He would mourn for his fallen friend later, and maybe even get the chance to avenge her, but for now, he had to find Hinata before whoever murdered Tenten did.

He attempted to arrange her in a more dignified way, but the best he could do without half of her skull falling away was sort of a curled up sleeping position. He closed her eyes with a gentle touch and then removed his jacket, placing it over her face. "I'm sorry Tenten. I should have waited for you. I will avenge you if I can." He said a small prayer and stood, making his way eastward without looking back.

He walked for several hours with no sign of anyone, but nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice from a nearby group of trees called out to him in hushed tones. "Psst! Neji! Over here!"

Neji tensed, ready to spring if someone were to attack him as he walked up to the small grove. But relaxed and once when he saw Lee and Hinata sitting beneath a very all fir tree.

Hinata ran up, throwing her arms around his middle and hugging him tightly. "Neji-niisan! You're here! I was so worried! When Lee-san found me before you did, I was afraid that something terrible had happened to you!"

Neji patted her head gently before pulling out of the hug and looking at her. Her face was still stained from where she'd been sprayed by Kiba's blood. "It's alright. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine." He took out his hankerchief and began to clean the blood from her face gently as he looked up at Lee. "Thank you for taking care of her. I owe you."

"Don't mention it." Lee said with his usual smile. "I thought this would be a good place to hide until we figured out what to do. I thought we should meet up with the others and work out some kind of plan, that way we could-"

"No." Said Neji shortly. One of the others had...

"But Neji, if we can all gather together, we can-"

"Tenten is dead." he interrupted sharply.

Lee's already large eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "W-what?! Dead?! B-but how?!" He sounded as though he couldn't wrap his mind around that fact that Tenten was just... gone!

Neji shook his head, looking away. "Someone bashed in her skull with a rock. One of those others you were talking about teaming up with. No. I won't allow it. I won't let whoever murdered Tenten near Hinata." His little cousin mean the world to him, more like a little sister. It wasn't always so good between them. When they were children, Neji had been very cruel to her, and once even beat her up so bad that she was in the hospital for two weeks. To this day, the lines of that guilt were etched in his face any time he looked at her. He'd never allow anyone to hurt her again.

"Neji, there has to be someone we can team up with. We do have other friends. What about Naruto-kun and Sakura-san?" Lee persisted.

Hinata gave a nod. "W-we should find them if we can."

Neji looked between the two of them and gave a sigh. Besides Lee and Tenten, Naruto was really the only friend he had in the class. He supposed teaming up with him might not be so bad, and Sakura was nice enough. "Alright. But ONLY if we happen upon them. I won't put us in danger by actively searching for them."

Both Lee and Hinata nodded, acknowledging that it wold be the best they could get for now. "So, what weapon did you get?" Lee asked.

Neji blinked. "Oh. I'm not sure yet. Haven't checked." He sat down and un-zipped his bag, rummaging around. "What about you two?" He asked while he searched.

"I got these." Lee said, holding up his fists. He was wearing a pair of brass knuckles. Well... those would be sort of useless at anything but the closest range, but it seemed appropriate, given Lee's obsession with martial arts.

"A-and I got this." Hinata held up a katana in a beautifully decorated sheathe.

Neji gave her the faintest ghost of a smile. "That looks like a good one. Keep it close." He finally found his weapon... He stared at it for a while, his eyebrow twitching with confused annoyance. "Is this somebody's idea of a joke?" For he was holding a rubber chicken. He squeezed it and it made a noise between a honk and a squeak. It was so absurd that if the situation were less grisly, he might have laughed.

Lee on the other hand did laugh, and Hinata managed a small giggle. "That's crappy luck. But the proctor guy did say the weapons would be completely random. But it should be okay anyway. You know just what pressure points can kill a man."

Neji nodded, giving a small sigh as he stuffed the gag toy back into his bag. "Yeah. But here's hoping I wont have to. I think we should head east." he said pointing to a spot on the map. "There's a ridge up there that should have a decent view of most of the island."

Lee and Hinata nodded and gathered up their things. They weren't sure why, but something told them they had to move fast.

...

Shino Aburame had a large stick held firmly in his hands. His weapon, if you could even call it that, was a bag of marbles. Though pretty, they didnt' exactly help the aspiring entomologist to stay alive. He had always been quiet and strange with few friends, one of whom was dead in a pool of his own blood in the classroom, and the other of whom was making her way east.

He had a momentary lapse in attention when he saw the shells of several cicada larvae attached to a tree. Shino was nothing if not obsessed with bugs. He had collected them his entire life, and could name more varieties than most people even knew existed. He set down his stick and carefully picked the shells off the tree, placing them in a small glass box he carried with him to collect any samples he should find.

He turned around as he was about to put the case in his pocket, when he felt all the air rush out of his lungs. It felt like someone had punched him in the chest, but when he looked down, he saw a large bowie knife sticking out of his sternum, clenched in a hand that seemed to know what it was doing. More puzzled than alarmed, Shino followed the hand to an arm, to a shoulder, and finally to the face of Sasuke Uchiha.

There was no doubt that Sasuke was the most popular boy in class. Dashing good looks, a cool devil-may-care attitude, and talent for anything he tried, all the girls wanted to be with him, and all the boys wanted to be him. But now, Shino realized, Sasuke had stabbed him in the chest.

Without a word or a change of expression, Sasuke withdrew the knife and stabbed again, driving the blade upward in the gap between his rib cage. This time Shino made a sound, a horrible noise that tried to be a cry of pain, but turned into a gurgle as blood bubbled up in his throat and spilled from the corners of his mouth. The blade was withdrawn a second time and Sasuke pushed him against the tree he'd just taken the samples from. Shino Aburame died as he slid down that tree, the little glass case fell from his hand and shattered against the ground.

Sasuke cleaned the knife without interest and put it back in it's scabbard before searching his dead team mate. A bag of marbles. Useless. He put them aside and took his food and water rations instead.

Sasuke Uchiha had a vendetta elsewhere, and he was not about to let the program get in the way of it. Even if it meant killing everyone he knew...

18 Students Remaining

(Told ya it would be longer! Read and review! Also if you have predictions, let me know!)


	4. Wire and Rope

"...THAT is your weapon?" Sakura asked in an exasperated voice when Naruto held up a big pink whoopee cushion. The two had met up right after Sakura had left the school and began heading in an southeasterly direction until they came to a sandy beach. They headed northward then until they found a small fishermen's cottage to take temporary refuge in.

Naruto gave a grin and rubbed the back of his head, sitting down next to her under the small bed in one corner of the room. "Yeah. Pretty lame, huh?" Though he had to admit he was was amused by it, it was probably karma for putting so many on Iruka-sensei's chair throughout his middle school career. "What about you Sakura-chan?" He asked as he began to inflate the prank toy.

"Tch! Do you really have to blow up that thing here?!" She snapped, but decided to let it go. It was actually refreshing that Naruto was able to remain so cheerful despite how bad things were getting. They had passed Shino's body on their way here, and had run a good way before the thought it was safe enough to stop. "I wonder what this could be..." She said a she pulled black case out of her bag and snapped it open, her eyes suddenly brighting. "Oh wow!" Inside was a Berretta 9mm, two extra clips, a box of bullets, and an instruction manual.

"Wow is right! That's great Sakura-chan! I bet nobody will mess with us if you've got a gun!" Naruto said excitedly, putting the inflated whoopee cushion down.

Sakura nodded. "You're right, but I don't want to have to use it. I don't know if I could kill anyone... I mean if they came after me, maybe. But they're our friends. How can we?"

Naruto put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "We won't unless we have to. There has to be another way out of all this. We don't know who killed Shino, but I'm sure most of the others aren't willing to play. We just have to-"

There came a rattling sound at the door, and Sakura had to cover her mouth to suppress a gasp. "Quick! Hide!" Naruto whispered, pulling Sakura with him under the bed. It was a tight squeeze, but it would have to do. Not a moment too soon either, for the door opened and someone hurried inside and began rummaging around, looking for supplies or some such thing.

Naruto could see from his spot under the small bed that it was Haku, the feminine boy going through what few cupboards and drawers the tiny shack held. Grasped firmly in one hand was a small gun, a revolver from the looks of it.

...

He opened one drawer, and another, but there was nothing of use to be found. Some kitchen and fishing supplies, but that wouldn't do him much good for escape. He hated the idea of killing his classmates, but after seeing the bodies of Shino and Tenten, he realized he wouldn't have much of a choice. Besides, he needed to see Zabuza again, and if escape wasn't an option, he'd have to get more drastic.

Zabuza was a senior and Konoha high. A tall, intimidating young man that most of the other students were afraid of. And then there was Haku. Small, thin, more pretty than handsome with a cross dressing hobby that people found odd at best, disgusting at worst. But even though he liked to wear women's clothing, Haku was never flamboyant, preferring instead to be polite and a little bit shy.

That didn't stop people from picking on him though. Ever since the sixth grade, when he began to occasionally put on a skirt or a woman's kimono, the harassment had been constant. Boys in his old class would push him around, rough him up a little bit, steal his money and rip his clothes, all the while calling him cruel names.

Haku always pretended he didn't care, but when he would go home to his less than supportive parents, he would lock himself in his room and cry for hours, mentally preparing himself for the torment he would go through the next day, always keeping the idea of a more permanent way out on the back burner.

That is until last year, when he'd met Zabuza.

It had been another typical day, there were five of them this time though. They were pushing him from one to another, just picking for now, until one decided to land a punch. Then another and another. Finally one pulled out a box cutter while another held him still. 'Maybe if you didn't look like a pretty girl, you'd stop dressing like one.' They had jeered. They were going to mark him, to slice up his face.

But before the bully with the blade got the chance, there was a strong hand on his wrist, twisting his arm behind his back with such force that Haku heard a loud POP as his shoulder came out of socket. He doubled over in pain with a scream, but that didn't stop his attacker from kicking him in the face, knocking out several of his teeth.

'Anyone else think it's funny to pick on the little ones?' Came a gruff voice. A voice Haku grew to love.

None of the bullies ever bothered Haku after Zabuza Momochi came to his rescue. The underclassman began to follow his rescuer around like a puppy after that, and though it seemed Zabuza was annoyed by it at first, eventually they became deeply involved, to the point that they intended to run away together this summer.

That was why Haku needed to survive these games. He loved Zabuza with all his heart, mind, and soul. He knew with every fiber of his being that they were meant to be. And if he had to play these sickening games to be back in his arms again, then so be it.

He had one last cupboard to open. He reached up with his right hand, his left loosely holding the .38 revolver that had been in his bag. He'd get home. He'd see Zabuza again.

He didn't hear a sound until there was something thin but strong wrapped tightly around his neck and he was jerked backwards against another person. He gasped for breath, his gun clattering to the floor planks as he struggled to get away, scrabbling at the wire around his neck. But that only made it tighter, blood beginning to ooze slowly from where the cord bit into his skin.

"Sorry about this Haku." Came a familiar voice. Kabuto Yakushi, the quiet but slightly arrogant science nerd was slowly strangling the life out of him. "You and I have a lot in common after all. We've both been bullied by people bigger and stronger than we are, but how is it where I'm just in intellectual, but you, a freak, gets a knight in shining armor to come to your rescue? Hmm? Where's your knight now, freak?"

The cord tightened even further, and Haku could feel himself slipping even as Kabuto continued to whisper into his ear. "He's not here to save you now. Now you know how it feels when there is no one to come to your rescue. I'll show them all. I'll show every single one of those stupid fucks that they made a big mistake in disrespecting me!"

One more hard jerk, and Haku's arms fell limp at his sides. Only then did Kabuto's grip slacken, letting the other boy fall to the floor. Facing the bed, the last thing Haku saw were the horror struck faces of Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno.

'Zabuza...' And his world faded to black.

Kabuto picked up Haku's weapon with a satisfied grin and tucked it into his waistband along with his own weapon; a long strand of piano wire. After a brief search turned up nothing useful, he left the shack, leaving the pair hiding under the bed in their shock and terror.

...

Shikamaru Nara had a good view from the tree branch he rested on. It was nearly dawn now, the black of the night sky slowly giving way to purple and lavender. Nearly time for the first act of this nightmare to end.

His weapon was almost useless, but even if he'd gotten a bazooka, he wouldn't play. Killing his classmates was too troublesome. And too... horrible. Kiba had been a very dear friend of his, and seeing the lively dog-lover thrashing as blood gushed from his throat had shaken the usually sarcastic, lazy genius to the core. He hadn't seen his other best friend, Chouji Akimichi yet, but he wasn't going to kid himself into thinking that gentle giant who enjoyed snacks way too much stood a chance in this game.

The idea of living without them had never really crossed Shikamaru's mind, but now that it was becoming a possible reality. He knew he could win this game if he went about it the right way, after all, he did have an IQ of over 200, even if he wasn't as athletic or active as some of the others. It would be a simple matter of waiting until there was only one person left, and then making his move. But he wasn't going to do that. Besides, on the off chance the odds turned out different, the last person standing could be Chouji, and Shikamaru KNEW that there was no way he could ever hurt his friend.

The sun began to rise, bathing the sky in purple and crimson before slowly fading into blue. He gave a small smile, deciding it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. A good sight to go out on.

"Good luck Chouji. I hope you manage to win this. But incase you don't I'll be waiting with Kiba. But if you do bite it, don't keep us waiting too long. It's too troublesome to wait forever."

He stood then, and stepped off the branch, the rope that had been his issued weapon snapped his neck gently and painlessly.

He wore an expression of peaceful sleep as his lifeless face was bathed in the light of the early morning sun.

15 students remaining

(Okay! Before you get mad, I can explain! First of all, I want to say that I adore both Haku and Shikamaru. They are two of my favorite characters in all of Naruto and it hurt me to kill them of so early, but the dice gods have spoken, and who am I to disobey? As to why I made Shikamaru the suicide character, it's because when I thought about it, he would never want to kill his classmates, but he would also be too lazy to try and survive it to the end with stealth and hiding. I tried to keep it as in character as possible with him, but if I messed it up, I'm sorry, forgive me! Please Review!)


	5. Like A Bat Out Of Hell

The sun came up in a brilliant display of color that morning, and when 6:00 rolled around, it was time for Kakashi Hatake to announce the fallen. He stepped up to a microphone that was connected to loudspeakers all over the island. No matter where the students where, they would be able to hear.

"Good morning everyone." He said in a cheerful tone satisfied when he could years his voice echo from a distance. "I hope you all slept well, but it's time to rise and shine, have some breakfast. It's also time to announce the list of your friends who were not fortunate enough to make it through the night." There was the sound of paper shuffling as he checked the list. "Kiba Inuzuka. Tenten. Shino Aburame. Haku. Shikamaru Nara. Not bad for your first night, but I'm sure you can do better."

He cut off the speaker then and sat back down on his chair with a sigh. His men kept an eye on everything via audio/video devices hidden throughout the island. It was certainly turning out interesting. A suicide, a collar detonation, and three kills by three different students. It was really still impossible to tell which way these games would go, but his men had already started placing bets.

As of yet, Kakashi wansn't sure who he'd bet on. The Uchiha boy seemed the most cool and level-headed of the three students that had killed the first night, but it was still too early to tell. He'd hold off on betting until later that day, possibly that night. He was sure by then he'd have a better idea of who stood a real chance in this program.

He decided to check the monitors himself and get a grasp of who was where. Right now, most of the students were reacting to the announcement of the fallen. Ino Yamanaka had begun to sob silently from her hiding place, Hinata Hyuuga buried her face in her cousin's chest, presumably to bury her tears, Konohamaru was shaking so hard that Kakashi could see it on the screen.

A pained wail came through the speakers on one of the monitors, and Kakashi saw that Chouji Akimichi had found the hanging corpse of Shikamaru Nara. The large boy climbed the tree from where his friend hung with some difficulty, and began to cut at the rope with his designated weapon; a small garden trowel. It took some doing, but eventually the rope snapped and Shikamaru's body fell in a graceless heap, prompting Chouji to let out another wail, stumbling as he tried to climb down. When he recovered, he took his friend's body in his arms and began to sob loudly, not caring if there was anyone nearby to hear him.

Kakashi felt bad. Though he pretended to be cheerful and uncaring during the program, he found it very distasteful to make these children kill one another. But the law was the law, and he served it well.

Movement on another screen prompted him to pay attention. Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were leaving the fishing shack they'd been hiding in at a sprint, Naruto holding Sakura's hand and pulling her along. They were running north now, away from the beach and up a hill, right toward another group...

...

"Sakura-chan, hurry!" Naruto said as he half-pulled the girl along. They both ran as fast as their legs could carry them, away from the dirty old shack that had become Haku's tomb. They hadn't been able to do anything except stare as their friend was murdered right in front of them. His death had only one good outcome; they now knew to avoid Kabuto no matter what.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder if he'd been responsible for the other deaths as well. He'd seen both Shino and Tenten's bodies, and determined it was possible for Tenten, since her skull was smashed in, but highly unlikely for Shino, who had been stabbed to death. Kabuto didn't had a knife, or he would have used it, instead of strangling poor Haku to death.

When Kabuto had left the shack, Naruto peeked out the window and saw that he was heading south, so once he was out of sight, he and Sakura ran north as if the devil himself were nipping at their heels. They were so focused on simply getting away, neither of them noticed the other people until they literally crashed into them.

There was a tangle of limbs, muffled curses, grunts, the occasional groan of 'Get off!' or 'Ow! That's my arm!' Eventually the pile got a little less tangled, and from underneath himself, Naruto heard "N-N-Naruto-kun!" And realized that he was on top of Hinata Hyuuga, staring her right in the face, which was turning redder and redder by the second.

"Get off of her!" Came a voice from above him, and suddenly a strong arm grabbed him by the back of his shirt and jerked him off the girl. He realized it was Neji, who was now helping the dumbstruck girl to her feet and asking if she was alright. Hinata seemed unable to respond, and just kept staring at Naruto with a massive blush. She was nice, but so weird sometimes.

Naruto looked over and saw Sakura being helped to her feet by Rock Lee and couldn't help but give a sigh of relief. He realized just how lucky he was to run into these three. He knew they could all be trusted.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee came over to him after greeting Sakura and clasped him on the forearm with a bright smile. "I'm glad you guys ran into us!" He laughed at his own joke while Neji rolled his eyes and Sakura shook her head.

"Good to see ya, bushy-brows!" Naruto replied, genuinely happy to see them. "You too Neji, and Hinata of course. Sorry for squashing you like that."

If possible, her face grew even redder at that comment. "I... I um... It's..."

Neji put a hand on her shoulder and looked at the pair. "What on earth were you two running from in such a hurry? You both look like you've seen a ghost."

"Kabuto." Said Sakura, lowering her eyes sadly. "We saw him kill Haku. When he left, we ran as fast as we could in the opposite direction. We know he has a piano wire as a weapon, and now he has Haku's gun too." She paused. "We saw Tenten... I'm so sorry."

Neji looked away. "Don't worry about it..." He trailed off, as if that was something he was trying very hard not to do himself.

Naruto scratched his head, sensing the need to change the subject and fast. "So, what weapons did you guys get?"

"A pair of awesome brass knuckles." Said Lee, holding up his fist and letting the weapon shine in the morning light.

"I-I got this katana." Said Hinata.

"Wow! That's really really cool Hinata! You look awesome with that!" Naruto said with a bring grin. The girl swooned a little, kept only from fainting by her cousin's swift catch. "What about you Neji?"

"I didn't get one." Neji lied in irritation. He refused to acknowledge that ridiculous toy as his weapon.

"Really? That sucks man. I might as well not have one though." He held up his whoopee cushion with a sheepish grin. "Sakura-chan's is really cool though! Show 'em Sakura-chan!"

"Okay." She said, surprised that Naruto could still be so enthusiastic. She pulled out her gun, carefully holding it flat on her palms.

"That's amazing Sakura-san!" Said Lee. "Excellent weapon! I don't like guns myself, but I can understand their value in this situation." He trailed off for a second, looking behind Sakura and down the hill. "Hey, there's someone over there!" He said, pointing.

The others all turned to look, and surely enough, down in the valley at the base of the hill, there were two figures walking. They didn't seem to have noticed them yet. "Isn't that Gaara-kun?" Asked Hinata.

"Looks like it. And Kankuro too." Said Neji. The Hyuuga's both had 20/10 vision making they eyesight roughly twice as good as everyone else's.  
"If that's Gaara, then we should go meet up with him!" Said Naruto, about to take off down the hill and meet him, only to be grabbed by Neji. "Wait Naruto, we don't know if he can be trusted yet."  
"Of course he can be trusted! He's my friend! He's not who he was years ago. He's changed and is really nice now." Naruto insisted.

"I agree with Naruto-kun." Said Lee. "You of all people should know that people change."

Neji hesitated, then gave a sigh. "Alright, but not yet. For now, we watch and wait. If he encounters anyone else and makes no move to hurt them, then I'll CONSIDER teaming up with him. No promises."

"It looks like that might happen sooner rather than later." Said Sakura with a worried expression. "Someone's following them."

(Whaaaaat?! No deaths this chapter! You're slacking Sam! I know I know. But it's a matter of deciding how to do the next deaths. Don't worry. I'm sure I have it nearly figured out. But for now, CLIFFHANGER!)


	6. Bloody Sand

Gaara hefted his weapon, a police-issue shotgun. Exactly a quarter of his classmates were dead unless more had fallen since Kakashi made the announcement. Had these games taken place a few years go, Gaara would have been more than willing to participate. He had once been a very angry, cruel boy. But since transferring to this school, he had friends for the first time in his life. Naruto and Lee in particular had excepted him when nobody else would. He had even grown closer to his siblings thanks to those new bonds.

Speaking of siblings, his brother Kankuro hadn't been as lucky in weapons as Gaara had. Instead, he held a paper fan. Useless, unless this game was secretly a big comedy prank. But neither of the brothers saw anything funny about it.

They had to find Temari, that much was for sure. Gaara still felt guilty about leaving her behind at the school. They should have waited for her., but everything had been so insane after they left the building, they really had no choice but to hurry away.

"Hey, Gaara." Kankuro began, looking around with a bored expression on his face. "Don't ya think it's kindof weird that we haven't seen anyone else yet?"

The redhead shrugged. "It would make sense that we haven't seen anyone yet if they're all hiding. This is a big island. Plenty of nooks and crannies to burrow in. It's no wonder they gave us three days. Any shorter, and we'd all be done for." Gaara really didn't intend on killing anyone except in self-defense, but he knew if it boiled down to it, he might change his tune.

"I finally found you..." Came a female voice from behind the boys. They whipped around quickly, and saw Temari standing before them. Her clothes were splattered with blood, though the meat cleaver she held was free of blemish.

"Temari!" Kankuro said. He hurried toward her, not noticing the wild look in her eyes. "What happened, are you oka-"

"You LEFT me!" She shrieked, bringing the cleaver down into Kankuro's left shoulder. It penetrated deep, nearly severing the limb from his body. The boy began to scream in pain, falling on his back as Temari withdrew the blade.

"You ran off and you left me!" She yelled again, raising the blade once more, but it was blocked when Gaara jumped between her and Kankuro, parrying the weapon with his gun. "Temari stop! what's gotten into you?! We're your brothers! Your family!"

Temari pulled back, gritting her teeth. Gaara could see the bags under her eyes, as if she had not slept in days, even though they'd only been on the island a few hours. She'd gone off the deep end and there was no pulling her back now. "Family doesn't abandon family!"

Her voice was tainted with madness, her right eye twitching slightly. "Besides... Only one of us can go home. I dunno about you, but I'm sure as hell not gonna die in this shit-hole. I've already killed once, there's no going back now!"

She kicked Gaara in the chest and made as if to slice off the top of his head, narrowly missing as he tripped over Kankuro and fell backward. He hit the ground with an grunt, eyes widening as he saw Temari raise the cleaver again. He reacted, fumbling with his shotgun, he turned it upward and fired, the weapon kicking violently in his grasp.

At once, Temari's was blasted backwards as blood splattered all over the brothers. Her midsection caved in and exposed her insides, shattering her rib cage, eviscerating her bowels, and obliterating her heart. She was still alive for a brief second after falling, just long enough to choke out her last breath as tears just managed to form in her eyes.

Gaara sat where he was, transfixed by the sight of his sister's mangled body. He'd done that. He had just shot his own sister at point blank range. His hands began to shake a little bit, and he threw his gun away from himself. No... He had to kill her. She would have killed him if he hadn't.

"Hey... Gaara... Wanna get off me?" Said Kankuro from underneath him. That brought Gaara out of his stupor for a moment, and he crawled backwards until he was off his brother before helping him sit up. "Fuck... I can't move my arm..."

Kankuro's wound was serious, the cleaver had cut through muscle and bone, so only a few stirps of flesh and cartilage held the limb to the trunk. It was bleeding profusely, and Gaara could see his brother's eyes focusing in and out. "Hey, stay with me Kankuro." He snapped, trying to staunch be bleeding as best he could.

"Temari...She's..." The older brother said in a slow, pained voice.

"She's dead... I had no choice. I just wish that... I didn't have to." The pain of it was weighing down on him, but he had to find help. At this rate, Kankuro would bleed to death. And even if he didn't, the risk of infection-

"GAARA! RUN!"

A familiar voice from a good distance away. Gaara turned toward the voice, searching for the source "Naruto? Where ar-" But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a massive gunshot. He was hit by a wave of wet heat as Kankuro's head literally exploded, covering him in blood, brain, and bits of skull.

13 Students remaining.

(I know, I know. Another short chapter. But an eventful one! Right?...Right?)


	7. Firefight

Kimimaro knew from the start that he stood very little chance in this program. He had always been very sickly, and knew that even if he survived, he would likely not live to see 30. He had been diagnosed with a rare blood disease when he was nine years old, and got progressively sicker every year, until he was out of school more often then not.

Though his illness wasn't contagious, he was still treated with a sort of mild neglect by his classmates, if not outright shunned. The only real friends he had were Jugo, a rugby player in class B, and Haku, who had been killed in the first few hours of the game. He himself had spent the first few hours hiding and watching the others.

He had managed to gather enough intel to know to avoid Sasuke and Kabuto. Though his weapon, a .50 Desert Eagle magnum; was far superior to theirs, he knew that the two of them could be particularly dangerous unless caught off guard. In addition, the proctors had seen fit to only give him a dozen rounds. Perhaps the stronger the weapon, the less ammunition was given to make it fair.

While he didn't really see a point in trying to win this game, as he knew his days were numbered anyway, he didn't like the idea of a death that he didn't have time to prepare fore. This is why when he heard shouting near the large boulder that served as his hiding spot, and peeked around to see Temari Sabaku shot by her younger brother Gaara, he knew it was his time to act.

A shotgun. That was a formidable weapon indeed. But if he could take out it's owner, he knew that Kankuro was too badly injured to use it. Gaara's back was to him, so he took careful aim at the back of his head, hesitating only briefly when he hears someone shout for the other boy to run, and then pulled the trigger.

No. The redhead turned just enough that the bullet whizzed by him, instead hitting Kankuro, his head exploding on impact.

Kimimaro gasped as the heavy weapon jumped in his hands, and almost lost his grip on it. He had expected kickback from such a high caliber weapon, but it had still knocked the wind out of him, and it took several long seconds before his hands stopped shaking enough to take aim and fire again, and by then, he was taking on fire from two sources. From Gaara's shotgun, and from a smaller gun somewhere off to his left, causing him to duck against the bolder that served as cover.

...

For what felt like an eternity, Gaara sat where he was, staring at the blood-soaked corpses of his brother and sister. How... Had that happened? He was just dozing off on the bus with the both of them. They were on the class trip to Kyoto. Right? Why was he in a field now? Covered in their blood? The coppery reek of it mixed with the sulfurous stench of the gunpowder filled his senses.

"Temari? Kankuro?" This had to be a dream. After all, he was really safe at home with his brother and sister. The way Temari's midsection had caved in, and how Kankuro's head had burst like an over-ripe melon. There was no way that could be real. It was all just a terrible dream, and soon he would wake up as they pulled up to their hotel.

"DAMMIT GAARA! MOVE!"

Naruto's shouted warning coupled with the 'BANG! BANG!' of a smaller caliber gun brought him back to his senses. He whipped around, searching for cover, but from where he was, the only cover to be found were the bodies of his dead siblings.

'BOOM!'

The sound of the massive gunshot again, the same sound he had heard an instant before Kankuro's head had been blown to smithereens. He felt as though he had been clobbered in the stomach by a wrecking ball, looking down to see a gaping hole in his belly. He didn't feel the pain, only a wave of nausea as thick, dark blood forced itself up his esophagus and out of his mouth.

As he clutched his wound, he noticed that the smaller arms fire was not being directed at him, but rather at a large bolder about twenty yards away. The 'BOOM BOOM' of the larger weapon was now directed further away, up a hill to his right. That meant the person that had killed Kankuro was hiding there, and had taken his or her attention off of the wounded redhead.

Taking his weapon under one arm, Gaara began to slowly crawl toward the boulder, hard determination written on his face. The shooter probably thought he was done for, which is why they were no longer paying attention to him. Well, that would be the very last mistake they ever made.

It took a lot of doing, but soon he reached the stone and drug his way around it, opposite of the direction the gunfire was coming from. Soon he could see the shooter. Kimimaro was crouched there, bleeding from his left arm and holding a massive handgun. Who would have thought the quiet, sickly boy capable of murder? Well, situations like these can turn anyone into an animal.

But some animals needed to be put down.

Quiet as a shadow, Gaara crawled up behind the other boy until he was within arms length. He forced himself to his knees and pressed the barrel of the shotgun to the back of Kimimaro's neck.

He just saw the sickly boy tense before 'ka-BOOM!'. The shotgun kicked and Kimimaro's neck was completely destroyed, severing his head in the process. His decapitated trunk fell almost noiselessly to the ground, and his head hit the earth and bounced such a sick, twisted way that it was almost comical.

Maddened by grief and horror, Gaara fired again and again into the body until his gun was empty and the body was basically a pile of viscera. Only then did he drop his gun, sinking against the boulder and clutching his belly.

Only now could he feel the pain. Now that the adrenaline was ebbing and reality was taking hold again. It was agony. The sort of slow, crawling agony that could make a man lose his sanity long before he lost his life. He coughed painfully, blood flying past his lips in gouts before he leaned his head back as well, vision focusing in and out.

"Gaara..." An echoing voice. A voice calling him. Was he dreaming again. "Gaara!" It came in more clear this time, and he recognized it. When he opened his eyes, his vision beheld the slightly blurry face of Naruto Uzumaki. The blonde boy was shaking his shoulder gently, keeping him conscious.

"Stay awake!" He said. "Sakura-! I need you!" That was when Gaara noticed the others behind him. Sakura Haruno, the Hyuugas, and his other good friend, Rock Lee. The nurses assistant came forward with obvious hesitation. "I... I don't think there's anything I can do..." She said, staring at the wound. Gaara was practically holding in his own intestines.

"Please Sakura-san! There has to be something!" Lee had begun to add to Naruto's pleas, but Gaara shook his head.

"It's too late." He wheezed, barely suppressing another cough. "You guys... drew his fire, right? Any of you... hurt?"

"No. We're all fine. Don't try to talk. We're gonna save you." Said Naruto, growing more desperate by the second.

Gaara gave a pained, sad chuckle. "You can't. Not in the way you mean to. I'm dying. I might survive another half hour or so... But it hurts..." Not only the physical pain, but Temari and Kankuro. "But there is another way you can save me."

"Anything! Please tell me how!" Tears were beginning to form in Naruto's eyes.

Gaara looked at him for a long time, them motioned to the gun in the blonde's hand. "That's how you can save me."

Naruto looked horror struck, and the tears that had formed began to fall, and Lee was already beginning to cry in earnest. "Gaara... No... Don't ask me to do that! Please don't ask that of me!"

"Please." Gaara insisted. "I don't want to die a slow death... I want to be with my family. Naruto, Lee... you two accepted me before anyone else would even look in my direction. You have been the very best friends anyone could ever ask for... and I wish there was some way I could repay that kindness... I wish I hand known it was you... Or I wouldn't have used all my ammo... You probably... could have... used... my gun..."

It was getting harder and harder to speak, his words kept trailing off and got quieter with each syllable. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to say the next words clearly. "I hope you all find a way out of this. I really, truly do."

With what little strength he had left, he held out his arms. The message was an obvious one, and both Naruto to and Lee dropped to their knees and hugged him tightly, before Naruto gently pressed his gun to Gaara's heart and pulled the trigger...

11 students remaining

(Okay! Two things! First, this chapter depressed the shit out of me to write! I was crying as I was typing. Second, I SWEAR TO GOD, I DID NOT MEAN TO KILL THE SAND SIBLINGS SO CLOSE TOGTHER. The dice gods are cruel, cruel masters. Please don't hate me for this!)


	8. Cruelty and Compassion

Konohamaru sniffled a bit and clutched the hammer he'd been issued close to his chest. The noon announcement had just been made, Kimimaro Kaguya and all three of the Sabaku siblings were dead. He didn't want to believe it, but his classmates really were killing each other. Even seeing Kiba die, he still thought maybe this whole thing was an elaborate prank, being a prankster himself. He had thought for a while that maybe Kiba's collar had been filled with some kind of fake blood, and he was in on the prank.

But that had all changed when he saw Haku's body. He had gone into this funny little shack along the shore that morning after the announcement, thinking it would be a good place to hide. And Haku was just laying there, these horrible bloody marks wrapping all the way around his neck. The other boy had been unquestionably dead, and Konohamaru had run away as fast as his legs would carry him in a blind panic, tears streaming down his face. He had finally stopped to rest along the beach a good ways south of the shack.

He sat in the sand, panting, holding his weapon tightly in one hand as he dug around in his bag for a bottle of water. Un-capping it, he drank deeply, not even thinking that he should conserve some of it for the rest of the program. He wondered where Naruto-niichan was, though he was glad he was still okay. They just had to hold out a bit longer, and then his grandpa would be sending soldiers and helicopters and everything else to come to the rescue of those still alive.

His grandpa would have that Kakashi person and all of his allies arrested, and they'd all be taken home. That's right. They'd all go home as soon as it was found out. All they had to do was wait.

"Konohamaru Sarutobi-kun."

Konohamaru whipped around with a startled yelp when he heard a voice behind him. "Kabuto-san!" He let out a breath when he saw the white-haired boy stepping out from behind some rocks. Kabuto was such a book worm and a nerd, there was no way he'd be hurting anyone else.

"Are you alright?" Kabuto asked, seemingly concerned about the other boy. "You look absolutely terrified of something." He put on a kind, charming smile that made Konohamaru drop his guard a little bit.

"Yeah..." The boy said, wiping his eyes as his felt fresh tears form in them. "It was horrible. I found Haku in a shack up the beach. He... He was dead! It was so awful! I can't believe anyone would do that! His eyes were wide open and his face was blue and there were these bloody marks around his neck like someone had choked him with... with..."

"With something like this?" Kabuto reached into his pocket and pulled out the piano wire, still wearing his soft smile, made terrifying by implied murder confession. He couldn't help but grin when he saw the other boy's eyes widen in terror at the sight of it.

In horror, Konohamaru turned and began to run, but Kabuto had the upper hand. He drew Haku's gun from his waistband and fired, Konohamaru screaming in pain as the bullet tore through his right leg, dropping him like a sack. He writhed in agony, clutching the bloodied limb as Kabuto advanced upon him, smirking down at him in satisfaction.

He fired again, aiming for his uninjured leg, another scream of pain tearing from the boy. "That's right Konohamaru. Scream, so everybody knows I'm not somebody to fuck with." He glanced at the hammer laying in the sand and picked it up with relish. "This your weapon? Not too bad I guess. After all, it's really good for things like this." He raised the hammer, and brought it down somewhere the bullets had missed, on Konohamaru's kneecap, shattering the bone audibly.

More screaming, more wailing in pain. Only one coherent cry of "WHY?!" escaped in a way that could be understood. "Why? Funny you should ask. I'll tell you why." He brought the hammer down on Konohamaru's right elbow this time, the bone crushing beneath it. "I killed Haku quickly because even though he was a freak, he never did anything to me personally. You on the other hand, you and that little shit Uzumaki with your pranks and your 'jokes'. I have news for you, they weren't funny! Not at all! But now matter how many times I told you to stop, you never did! You bastards always came up with some other stupid fucking punch to pull. Well, THIS is my idea of a joke!" The hammer connected when Konohamaru's ribs, breaking them in such a way that bone stuck out through flesh. "IT'S REAL FUCKING FUNNY, ISN'T IT?! LAUGH! LAUGH YOU LITTLE MOTHER FUCKER! IT'S FUNNY! LAUGH!"

The hammer came down over and over and over until Konohamaru stopped screaming. He lay there with his ruined limbs twitching, his eyes staring blankly at a sky that was innapropriately blue and beautiful. There should have been fog, or rain, or fire. Something to match the cruelty of the scene.

When it was over, Kabuto laughed, not bothering to clean up the hammer. "Poor little Konohamaru-kun. Nobody here to save you. But don't you worry. When I find Uzumaki, he'll get even worse. Uchiha, Haruno, Hyuuga, Yamanaka, Every last one of you that has ever looked down on me is gonna suffer. I promise you that."

...

Chouji was exhausted, hungry, and upset. He had been digging since dawn with nothing but his little garden trowel, and that had broken a few hours ago. He kept digging anyway, even though his nails were broken, his fingers were bleeding, and his muscles ached. The sun had begun to set and he had exhausted his entire food and water supply already, and sweat was pouring off his body. But he didn't care. He had to finish this.

Shikamaru's body was laying next to him. His eyes had been closed and his hands set across his chest in a dignified sort of way. Chouji had no idea what happened to their bodies if they died here. Would they be burned? Tossed in the sea? Just... LEFT? He didn't want to think about it, so to protect Shikamaru from those things, he had started digging as soon as he'd stopped crying after he found him, Though he occasionally still had to stop and cry some more.

He also knew he was being watched. The heavy boy was much sharper than anyone gave him credit for. He stopped digging, panting heavily and looking in the direction that he felt he was being watched from. "You can come out, Sasuke-kun. I know you're there."

After only a brief hesitation, Sasuke emerged from the bushes that had served as his scouting point. He approached Chouji, looking down at him with minor curiosity. "You knew it was me." A statement rather than a question.

Chouji nodded, wiping some of the sweat from his brow. "Yeah. And I know you're playing to win. I saw you kill Shino last night. I was scared at the time, but now I'm too tired to be scared. Either way, I'm not playing. I guess you're gonna kill me then. Right?"

Sasuke nodded. There was no point in lying about it. "Yes. That's the plan." There was no enjoyment or anticipation in his voice, just calm decisiveness. He glanced at the hole, and then at Shikamaru's body, laid out respectfully as if for a funeral. "Did you do all this just for him?" He asked, a little surprised and more than a little impressed.

Chouji blinked and stared up at him. "'Just for him?' There is no 'just for him' about it. Shikamaru is my best friend in the whole wide world. And I can't bear the idea of him just being left out in the sun to rot, or... something else. I don't really know what. But this way I can at least ensure he gets a burial, even if its a somewhat unorthodox one." He paused, wiping his eyes as he began to cry softly again. "So, if you're gonna kill me, can you wait until I finish this?"

Sasuke actually felt some small emotion stir in him. Would anyone go so far as to do the same thing for him if he died in these games? He thought about it, and decided that he could let him finish. He had time. He gave Chouji a small nod, and the large boy continued to dig until he had a hole about six feet long and about two and a half feet deep. More shallow then he would like, but It would have to do.

He got out of the hole, panting again, before he went over and grabbed Shikamaru by the shoulders and began to carefully drag him over to the grave. When the load suddenly got lighter, he looked up in surprise to see that Sasuke had picked up Shikamaru's feet and was helping to carry him over. Together, they set him down gently in the makeshift gave, and covered him with dirt. "All things return to earth in the end, and are reborn." Said Sasuke, giving Chouji some words of comfort.

Chouji nodded, crying softly as he did so. "Thank you for your help. I have one more small request." He said. "I know it's pointless to ask you to stop killing, and I'm not gonna ask you to dig me a grave, but I will ask this. If you see Ino, don't kill her. I understand if it's down to just you and her that you'll have to. But if you see her before then, let her go. She's my friend... And tell her that me and Shikamaru didn't suffer. That we're both resting peacefully. Can you do that?"

Sasuke hesitated again. He knew that in order to get to the end, he would have to kill as many people as he could before time ran out. But how could he refuse him his last wish. "Alright. Unless it's down to me and her, I won't kill her."

Chouji smiled then, nodding gratefully. "Thank you. I guess we should get this over with then." He closed his eyes tightly, preparing himself for the blow to come. "Will it hurt?"

"No. I'll make sure." Sasuke drew his knife, put a hand on the side of Chouji's head to steady him, and then drove the blade quickly up through the base of his skull, resulting in a painless, instant death.

With effort, he brought the heavy boy to the ground and lay him down beside Shikamaru's gave, facing the setting sun. He positioned him with his hands folded over his chest, just as he had done for his dear friend not long ago. He wandered off then, only to wander back with several good sized stones in arm, set them down, and came back with more. It would be quicker than digging, and he felt like it was the least he could do. He piled the stones over Chouji's body, creating a mound in about half an hour.

He finished just as the sun sank over the horizon and walked away from the tiny cemetery. He'd spare Ino, but he still had work to do.

9 Students remaining.

(This was a hard chapter to write. For one, writer's block is a bitch. For another, I suck at torture. But I wanted to convey just how sick and twisted I'm trying to make Kabuto in this, while Sasuke, though cold and calculating, isn't totally heartless. Please review!)


	9. Unreasonable

(This chapter contains a scene of attempted rape. You have been warned.)

There were no deaths that night, nor most of the following day. Kakashi came back on the air twice to warn them that they would be running out of time if they didn't get to it, but Ino wondered to herself how in god's name she could be expected to kill anyone. Sakura was her best friend, and though she had yet to find her, she held hope that she'd be able to do so soon. And then there was Sasuke. She'd had a crush on him since they were in elementary school, and was sure he'd already worked a way out of this. If she was able to find them, she was sure they'd all be able to escape together.

The deaths of Chouji and Shikamaru effected her more than she thought they would. She always thought they were annoying and kindof dumb, but losing them made her realize how much they meant to her. All she could do last night was hug herself, cry, and hope that someone friendly would find her.

She was beginning to realize that the tough attitude she had in school wouldn't help her now. Her weapon, if you could even call it that, was completely useless. A feather duster. How could it get any more stupid than that?! Every time she looked at it, she cursed her bad luck, wishing she at least had a stun gun or pepper spray to defend herself with. What was she going to do with this?! Tickle her assailant to death?!

The sound of a twig snapping brought her to her sense, and she stood quickly, turning toward the sound. There stood Kabuto Yakushi, grinning like a madman and aiming a small pistol at her head. "Ah, you were one of the people I was hoping to find next, Ino-chan." His voice was congenial, almost polite, but it had a sort of twisted anticipation that made her skin crawl. "Put your hands up or I'll shoot you where you stand, I want to see your weapon."

What other choice did she have? She raised her hands, her empty left palm facing outward, and her other hand holding the feather duster. She flinched when Kabuto began to laugh. "That's it? well, that's certainly fitting."

"Kabuto-kun," Ino began, adopting a voice of reason in spite of her fear. "You don't have to do this, you-"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" He snapped, making her flinch as he advanced to within arm's length. "You think you can talk your way out of this one? OH no. I don't think so. You were always such a preppy bitch, thinking your good looks and honeyed words could get you out of everything. Well guess what? That's not the case anymore. Besides, who says I have to do anything. I'm doing this because I WANT to."

Kabuto then struck her across the face with the gun, sending her sprawling to the ground with a yelp. He straddled her before she could get up, grabbing her by the hair and jerking her face to within an inch of his own. "It's bitches like you that make the world so hard for guys like me. You wouldn't even give me the time of day, let alone anything else. Well, it's my turn to get what I want." He kissed her roughly then, hard enough to draw blood.

Ino gave a cry and began to struggle then, know exactly what he wanted to do. This prompted Kabuto to strike her with the pistol again, opening a huge cut on her face. "Oh look, you're not so pretty anymore. Are you bitch?!" He put the gun aside, out of her reach, but close enough that he could reach it if he needed to and kissed her again, using his newly freed hand to grab roughly and her chest, tearing open her blouse and working at her bra.

In spite of the severity of his blows, Ino continued to struggle against him. NO. She would not let him have her that easily! She may not have been strong physically, but she had too much self-respect to just let herself be taken by this bastard. She began to hit him as best she could, and when she felt him beginning to pull at her panties, she hit him harder and harder with the rod of the feather duster, until it snapped and the feathery head fell to the ground with a bounce.

"YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT TO ME!" She shrieked, stabbing him in the side with the splintered shaft.

Kabuto let out a sharp cry of pain and surprise, which gave Ino the opportunity to shove him off her her and begin to run. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" He shouted, clutching at the wooden shaft that was embedded in his body. He picked up his gun and fired three times in quick succession. The first two bullets whizzed past her harmlessly, but Ino fell forward with a gasp when the last one hit her between the shoulder blades.

She had managed to run a good distance away from him, and even now, wounded as she was, she tried to crawl away. She knew she wasn't going to made it, but if she could just crawl far enough away, maybe she'd die before he got a chance to come after her again. Anything was better than that. Anything.

She felt so dizzy as she crawled, but knew she couldn't stop now. He was following her, cursing and grunting in pain the entire time. She had to get away. Had to get just far enough away. She was so lost in her effort that she noticed there were feet in front of her at the last possible second, almost crawling right over them. She looked up and couldn't help but smile at the face she saw then. "Sasuke-kun..." She was saved... Sasuke would save her... Sasuke... would... save... Sasuke... sleep...

As Ino died at his feet, Sasuke couldn't help but but feel a pang of remorse. Why? He hadn't been the one that killed her. And it wasn't as though Chouji had asked him to protect her. But even so, the look of relief in her eyes when she saw him filled the boy with pity. It was then that he noticed the shape she was in. Her clothing in tatters, her lips and neck bleeding from bite marks. He clenched his fists at the realization that someone had attempted to rape her. Possibly succeeded. To kill her was one thing, but an act like this...

He looked up, dark eyes flashing in anger as they met those of her assailant. Kabuto Yakushi.

...

Hinata couldn't sleep. She was too worried about Naruto. He'd been so quiet and sad since he'd had to kill Gaara the previous day. He was currently on watch while the rest of them tried to get some sleep. They all agreed that they needed to be in good condition if they were going to be able to get off this island. But Hinata knew she wasn't gong to be able to get any rest that night.

Giving up on sleep, she stood, carefully stepping over Lee's snoring form and going to sit next to Naruto.

The blonde boy blinked, looking at her when she sat down beside him. "Hinata? What's the matter?" He asked in concerned.

The girl shook her head. "N-nothing's wrong. I just couldn't get to sleep." She hesitated, chewing at her lower lip for a second before looking at him. "Naruto-kun... I'm worried about you." She said at long last.

"Eh?" He blinked again, "What are you talking about? I'm totally fine." He said with a grin. But Hinata wasn't fooled. It was a fake smile that he showed only to try and keep her from worrying. But she had to be persistent. If not here, then she might never get the chance again.

"No. You're not. Ever since... Ever since yesterday morning, you've been so sad. You hide it well, but I can tell. It's terrible what happened to Gaara-kun, but... You did the right thing. I just thought you should know that."

Naruto stared at her in surprise for a moment. He had never heard her say so many words at once, and all without mumbling. And the message was such a kind one. He finally gave her a small smile. "You really are a sweet person Hinata. I dunno why I never really noticed it before, but you really have always been nice." When she blushed and looked away, he laughed a little. "No really. I mean it. I don't think you have a mean bone in your body."

"T-thank you, Naruto-kun..." Her eyes widened suddenly in surprise when she felt him kiss her cheek, but instead of blushing and looking away, she looked at him in confusion. When she saw the look on his face, her face turned bright red. "Um... Naruto-kun?"

He smiled a little bit more. "You're sweet, you're smart, and you're really pretty too. I guess it takes ending up in bad situations to realize things that have been right in front of your face the whole time. When we get out of here, we should go and get some ramen together."

Hinata made a small, surprised sound, but couldn't help but feel her heart swell up with joy. "I would like that very much." She said.

"Hey, it's you guys."

The pair jumped when a third voice suddenly joined their's. Naruto jumped up, looking out into the dark. "Who... Oh! Sai!" His voice went from surprise and worry to relief.

Sai himself looked more than relieved to see them. "I've been looking all over for you." He said, wearing his small, strange smile. "I haven't seen a single friendly face this entire time. But I'm glad you're here. Is Sakura with you too?"

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Yeah. She's here. Neji and Bushy-brow are with us too. Man, am I glad to see you. Your name hadn't been on any of the announcements, so I knew you were okay, but I was beginning to wonder if Kabuto had got ya. Have you seen Sasuke?"

He shook his head. "No. I haven't. I've been keeping mostly to the northern rim of the island, keeping the ocean in sight, but staying off the shore so I'd have a tree to climb into if need be. Have you been heading up the ridge?"

Naruto nodded. "Uh-huh. That's exactly where we're headed, we figure it's a good place to figure out a plan of some kind. Now that you're here, you're more than welcome to come with us."

"Wait a minute." The rushed voices had woken Neji, who had always been a really light sleeper. He was approaching as Lee and Sakura began to stir, but unlike Naruto, he had nothing but distrust in his eyes when he looked at the pale artist. "Naruto, what do you think you're doing? This late in the program, we can't trust anyone."

"Neji, it's just Sai." Naruto said in protest. "He's friends with me and Sakura. He's totally fine."

The long-haired boy shook his head. "No. I don't think so. Someone other than Kabuto has been doing the killing on this island, and right now he looks pretty suspicious to me."

"Neji-niisan, aren't you being a little unreasonable?" Hinata asked in a small voice.

"There is no 'unreasonable' when it comes to getting out of here alive." He replied. "If you want to come with us Sai, then prove it. Hand over your weapon."

The pale boy blinked, but began to dig around in his pocket. "I'd rather not, but if that's what it takes to get you guys to trust me..." He pulled out what appeared to be a small black tube, but when he pushed a button on the side, a six inch blade shot out of it swiftly and suddenly. A switchblade.

Instinct took over and Neji's martial arts training kicked into high gear when he saw the glistening blade. He batted Sai's wrist to the side with one hand, snatched the knife with the other, spun behind him... and sank the blade in between the vertebrae where his neck meets his upper back, severing his spinal cord, and withdrawing the blade in one fluid motion.

Hinata shrieked and Naruto made a horrified noise as he rushed to catch his friend as he fell forward, "Sai! Sai, hey!" But it was too late. Sai was dead the instant the knife was in his back, his face frozen in a mask of surprise.

Tears of horror and rage sprung up in Naruto's eyes as he hugged Sai tightly, rounding on Neji. "What the hell did you just DO?!"

Neji looked down at him calmly, but Hinata could see some barely concealed emotion in her cousin's eyes, and the very slightest tremble in the hand that held the switchblade. It was there for only an instant, then was gone again as the boy hardened his resolve.

7 Students remaining.

(DUNDUNDUN we're starting to get really intense now! I guess. I dunno, I'm just the writer. What will this mean for the alliance?! Will Kabuto and Sasuke clash, or form an alliance of their own?! Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z! Er... I mean... Konoha Royale. PLEASE REVIEW.)


	10. Clash

Sasuke grew up with a strict, but loving family in a wealthy district of Konoha. His childhood years were filled with happy memories of his elder brother, Itachi. A genius in his own right, Itachi excelled at all his classes, and had universities calling and begging for him to enroll. But while his relationship with Sasuke had been a good one, with his parents, it was more than a little strained.

His father in particular pushed him as far as he could go, and sometimes beyond. Both academics and sports were important. He couldn't just be good, he had to be perfect. Anything less than straight A's were unacceptable, as well as soccer in the summer, basketball in the winter. It was too much for the boy to bear, and one day, Itachi snapped.

Sasuke had come home from his first day of middle school to find both of his parents dead in the sitting room with multiple stab wounds. Standing above the blood-soaked bodies was his elder brother. He had no words for Sasuke at that time, he had simply looked at him for a long moment before quite literally walking out of his life, leaving him to sob on the floor.

That was why Sasuke went as far as he did during the program. He still had things to do. He still had to find his brother, ask him why he murdered their family, and then kill the bastard himself. But even though he played without mercy, he didn't make his victims suffer, nor did he enjoy killing them. Seeing what Kabuto had done to Ino left a foul taste in his mouth, especially when he looked the other in the face and saw enjoyment underneath the pain.

"Why did you do this?" He asked, voice full of steel and ice.

Kabuto stopped and looked at him as if he had just asked the most stupid, obvious question in the world. He scoffed, pointing a pistol at him. "For the same reason I'm gonna do it to you. To make you suffer. Look at you Uchiha, all the girls throwing themselves at you day after day, not even having to try at sports and classes to stand at the top. No matter how hard I tried, I'd never be good enough, not for a pretty girl like Ino here. I'd never be YOU."

Sasuke grit his teeth, staring Kabuto down like a predator. "And you tormented her just for that?" He demanded. "Who else did you kill? Who else did you torment?"

Kabuto shook his head and laughed. "I killed Haku on the first night, and Konohamaru yesterday around noon. All the little rabbits have been skittish or it would have been more. And before you ask, yes, they did suffer. One suffered significantly more than the other, and you will suffer significantly more than they did. Oh don't give me that holier-than-thou look, Sasuke-kun. You're not the type to hide and wait things out. To have gotten this far, you must have killed."

"That's right." Sasuke said without hesitation. "I still have things to do, so yes. I have killed. But I didn't find enjoyment in it, nor did I intentionally make anyone suffer. To kill people outright is one thing. I'm a killer. But you're a butcher."

Kabuto laughed again, long and loud and shameless. "Yeah. So what? It doesn't matter which one of us gets out of this. We'll both be branded murderers, so I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth. I'm gonna make you, and whoever's left wish the'd never looked down on me. He leveled the gun with Sasuke's knee and pulled the trigger, eyes widening in confusion when he heard an empty 'click'. He had used his last bullet on Yamanaka, and the spare ammo was still back where he found her.

That brief hesitation was all Sasuke needed. He lept forward, bowie knife in hand. Kabuto caught him, the knife grazing against his arm, and then it was a struggle, the pair grappling, each trying to get the upper hand over the other.

Sasuke was in better shape, but Kabuto was goaded by demons of madness. He kicked Sasuke's knee out from under him, sending them both to the grass, Kabuto on top. He sat on Sasuke's chest, pushing down pinning the hand that held the blade while he fumbled in his pocket until he found the piano wire. With difficulty, he got it around the other boy's neck, pulling until Sasuke dropped the knife.

Kabuto took the opportunity to snatch it up, letting the wire go slack. He didn't want to kill Sasuke. Not yet. He wanted to hurt him more than any of the others. "Not so tough now? Are you?" He asked. "Not fun being on the bottom of the food chain, let me tell you. I'm going to enjoy this Sasuke-kun. I'm going to enjoy making you scream, and cry, and beg for death like a bitch. It will be the sweetest music I have ever heard. I think... I'll take your eyes first. That way nobody will be able to talk about those 'deep obsidian orbs' again. Don't worry. When I'm done with you, I'll give Uzumaki your regards."

Sasuke tensed up, jerking his head back as Kabuto came after him with the knife. He moved in time to avoid losing in eye, the tip of the blade scraping along his temple, opening a shallow cut. It was then that he noticed something. Kabuto was bleeding from his side. It was still new, so it must have been from when he attacked Ino. Grit his teeth and punched the wound hard, making Kabuto yelp. He punched it again and again until he was able to roll on top of him, reclaiming his knife.

He stared down at him, a predatory expression on his face. "This is for Haku." He brought the knife down into the right side of Kabuto's chest, dead in the middle of his lung, and twisted. "This is for Konohamaru." He stabbed him again, this time in the left lung, twisting the knife viciously. "And this is for Ino." He twisted around, stabbing Kabuto between the legs. Once, twice, three times.

He stood up then, looking down at the other boy writing in agony, making gurgling noises as he began to drown on his own blood. "It's not fun to be made to suffer. Is it?" He cleaned his knife and put it away, watching Kabuto until he choked his last breath. Sasuke turned and left then. He still had things to do.

6 students remaining.


	11. Shatter

Things had not been the same with the group since Neji killed Sai earlier that evening. Nobody spoke except for a few words here and there, and their climb up the ridge had become a very tense, awkward ordeal. The tension between Naruto and Neji in particular was so thick you could cut it with a knife. A knife like the one Neji had used to kill Sai and in fact had not let go of since he'd gotten it. A barely-concealed paranoia seemed to have gripped the Hyuuga, and Naruto was so angry in his silence that Lee was afraid of what might happen between the two of them.

Lee glanced back at the girls as they walked, poor Hinata had been shaking ever since it had happened, and Sakura had to keep an arm around her shoulders to steady her and keep her going, though Sakura herself was in a pretty bad emotional state, since the last announcement had informed them that Ino had been killed.

This was bad. If things kept going the way they were, their alliance would fall apart, and so close to the end of the game. They still had a chance to get through this and figure out a way to escape. They just had to calm down and talk it out. Lee was just about to stop and suggest they share their thoughts. But Naruto halted in his tracks an instant before he planned to, and threw down his back. "You didn't have to kill him!" He snapped at Neji.

Neji gave a sigh that was as much visual as it was auditory before turning around slowly and looking at the other boy. "We've been over this already Naruto. We can't trust anybody anymore. What I did, I did to keep us safe. There are only six of us left. Six! Almost three quarters of our classmates are dead, which means that they were more than willing to kill each other off."

"Yeah, but the only other person left besides us is Sasuke." Naruto persisted. "I know we can trust him, I mean he's my best friend. He would never do anything to hurt me or Sakura-chan. If we're heading up that ridge to figure out a way to escape, we should bring him with us."

Neji shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. If Sasuke has gotten this far, it mean's he's had to kill at least one other person. I'm not about to let anyone like that even close to Hinata-sama."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you after what you did to Sai, you goddamn hypocrite!" Naruto snapped, his voice rising an octave. "You know what? Maybe it's is better if Sasuke doesn't join up with us. You might murder him in cold blood too."

Neji tensed, gripping the knife tightly. "I did what I had to do. He pulled a knife on us."

"He was handing it over to you! Stop trying to justify what you did! He was handing it over, you snatched it away from him, and you stabbed him! Admit it! Or if you still won't, then give me the knife." Naruto growled.

"Naruto, you're not making any sense." Neji replied. It was obvious that he was forcing himself with great effort to remain calm. "Now stop this, and let's go. We don't have much time left and we have to get up the ridge."

"Oh shut up Neji. Just shut up." Naruto said, getting right up in the other boy's face. "Who died and made you the leader anyway? How do we know you're not leading us up that ridge just so you can kill us all and throw us into the ocean?"

"Naruto-kun, that's enough. Please, can the two of you just stop?" Lee asked. He didn't like where this was going and wanted to stop it from escalating any further. "Look, I'm sure we can come to some compromise here."

Naruto shook his head. "No Lee. I want to hear his answer. I want to hear the real reason Neji is dragging us all up this hill. So Neji, why don't you tell us?"

Neji glared at him, his patience running thin. "I don't intend to hurt anyone else. But if it's the only thing that will keep Hinata-sama safe, then yes. I am prepared to kill every last one of you."

The blonde stared at him for a minute, eyes wide and jaw slack. He didn't expect Neji to say it, but now. "Wow. That proves it then. You've completely lost it. You don't wanna hand over the knife, fine. But you're on your own. None of us is going one more step with you." He turned around to face the others Bushy-brow, Sakura-chan, lets go. Hinata, come on. We're leaving."

He moved to take her by the arm, but Neji grabbed him and whipped him back around. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"

"Get off me you psycho!" Naruto shoved him hard. "You can't stand the idea of anyone else being near her! Is that because you want her for yourself? Is it?! She's your cousin you sick bastard!"

"How DARE you insinuate such a filthy thing?!" Neji shoved him back, losing all composure. "I'm the one with her best intention in mind! I can't stand you being around her because you're not good enough for her!"

It continued like this, shouting and shoving for a while. Sakura yelled at them to knock it off and Hinata begged them to stop, but that only seemed to goad then further. Naruto punched Neji hard in the jaw, and in retaliation, Neji tackled him to the ground. Lee rushed forward as the two rolled on the grass, hitting and kicking at one another viciously, trying to pull them off one another, but then something went wrong.

Neji had rolled on top of Naruto and then pulled away quite suddenly, eyes wide with shock and horror, and the girls screamed. Lee looked down at the blonde and saw that he was choking and coughing, the switchblade in bedded in the side of his neck.

Neji began to panic then, putting his palms over the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. Had he stabbed him? Did he do it on purpose? "No no no... I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..." But his effort to save him was in vain, and Naruto gave one last choking cough before passing away.

Lee looked over when he heard Hinata give an almost animalistic shriek, and saw that she had snatched Sakura's gun and was pointing it at her cousin with shaking hands and a look of madness. Neji put up a hand, as if to ward her off. "Hinata-sama, don-"

BANG! BANG!

The gun jumped in Hinata's hands, the first bullet slamming into Neji's gut, and the second going clean through his outstretched palm and into his chest, right above the heart.

"Hinata-san, stop!" Lee jumped on the girl, trying to wrestle the weapon from her hands before she could hurt anyone any further. She screamed and thrashed, caught in the throws of temporary insanity.

BANG!

The gun went off again during the struggle, and a red mist sprayed out of the back of Sakura's head as the stray bullet caught her in the center of her forehead. The girl was dead before she hit the ground.

Horrified, Lee hit Hinata once in the back of the skull, and she fell still. Afraid he had hit her too hard, he checked her pulse. No. She was still alive. He had only knocked her out. He then looked out at the carnage before him and began to shake, tears forming in his huge eyes.

"Lee..." Neji choked, slumping against a tree.

Lee rushed over to him, pulling off his jacket and balling it up, pressing it against Neji's wounds. "Stay with me Neji! Just hang on! It... It's not that bad. You're gonna be fine."

Neji shook his head. "No. Lee, I didn't mean to kill Naruto... I didn't know..."

"I know Neji. Don't try to talk right now." He said, desperately trying to do something.

"Let me get this out. Lee, I need you to make me a promise..."  
"Not now Neji!" Lee snapped, forcing back his tears. His friend was dying and he knew it but he'd be damned if he didn't try to save him.

But Neji didn't relent. "I NEED you to promise me that you'll get Hinata home. I'm begging you. Don't blame her for what's happened. It wasn't her fault. It was mine... I failed her. I failed all of you because I was so stupid and pig-headed. But you HAVE to get out. You have to get HER out. Do you understand me?"

Lee's lips quivered but he nodded. "Yes... I understand..."  
"Good... I'm sorry Lee. I was only... trying.. to..." Whatever Neji was trying to do would remain a mystery, for he breathed his last and fell limp in Lee's arms.

Lee began to sob then, hugging Neji's body and crying into his long hair. It took a long time before he was able to regain enough composure to lay his three dead friends side by side, fold their arms across their chests, and close their eyes. He said a small prayer for them through his tears, and then carefully picked up Hinata's unconscious form and carried her away from the scene.

3 students remaining

(This chapter made me cry so hard! Neji is my very favorite character. And while the dice gods declared to me that this would happen, it was still very difficult to write. Please, read and review.)


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